1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a vehicle storage structure. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicle storage structure that is concealed under a passenger seat within a passenger vehicle.
2. Background Information
Most passenger vehicles have unused space beneath passenger seats within the vehicle. In some vehicles, such as sedans, station wagons, sport utility vehicles and vans, the area under the passenger seats is empty space that is either too small to use for storage or may not have accessibility for use as a storage or cargo space. Attempts have been made to utilize the space under a passenger seat in vehicles. However, these attempts have some disadvantages.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,044 to Schlachter and U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,009 Singh et al. each disclose a vehicle that includes several passenger seats. One of the passenger seats has a bench seat with room for three passengers. The space under the bench seat is configured to form a storage area that is accessed by lifting the bench seat. One problem with the configurations disclosed in both Schlachter and Singh et al. is that the entire bench seat must be lifted to access the storage area. The bench is long and appears to be difficult to manipulate. Further, seated passengers must first leave the bench before the storage area can be accessed. Therefore, the storage area is not accessible by the passengers while in the car. Another disadvantage is that the storage area is defined by uneven contours on the floor surface beneath the bench seat. The storage space therefore has limited usefulness.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved storage compartment in the space under passenger seats. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.